I have on occasion driven by the DMV when right after it opened in the morning. There were literally hundreds of people waiting on a long line (which went all the around the block) just to enter the building. It was clear that the average person would be waiting for well over an hour, probably closer to two. Thanks to technology though there is now a very simple solution to this great waste of time. Have a single DMV employee sitting outside the building two hours before it opens with a digital camera attached to a laptop. When you show up, he takes your digital photo, and gives you a number. When your number is reached, as long as you haven't drastically changed your appearance, you can walk right in.

They could have previously handed out numbered tickets like they do in the bakery, but apparently they already rejected that idea. I assume this would be because tickets would create a secondary market for people to wake up early, grab as many as they can, and then scalp them to those with valuable time. Perhaps they also didn't want the expense of having to print non-forgeable tickets every morning. The digital camera removes all these objections. Only those whose picture was taken earlier can enter when their number is called. Digital cameras and laptops are dirt-cheap. Surely the DMV can splurge for the cost of two hours of a single union worker each day so the throngs of people who enter the building will be coming from a relaxing breakfast in the diner around the corner and not from a long and boring line that exposed them to the harsh outdoor elements. It would certainly make life more bearable for the rest of the DMV employees if people weren't steaming mad before they get into the building.

I first posted this idea 7/4/2002

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